The Drunken Botanist

The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks

Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries.

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Now I can entertain my friends with all sorts of random facts about alcohol! A highly informative book that is presented in small, digestible chunks. I wouldn't read this all at once. Personally, it took me maybe a month to finally finish the read. The takeaway I got from this book is that alcohol is basically the modern equivalent to potion brewing (which is awesome).

While I found this to be a slow read, it was really interesting (in particular, the genetic diversity of apples astounded me!). While not the most practical book to keep around your bar for tips on drink infusions, it’s a good read about the histories of plants that help make modern cocktails what they are.

Though it is available as an ebook you really need to check this book out in print, it is beautiful! No worries if you're not into horticulture or science, Stewart's layout of the book and fun facts make the information accessible. You will be thirsty at the end!

The Drunken Botanist: the Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks. --- by Amy Stewart. The title says it all: this book is about the plants that produce the alcoholic beverages that we drink and some that we don’t even know about. The reading is easy, the style is clear. No dense, difficult to understand prose here. All the major players are covered: the grape and the hop; the rye and the wheat; sorghum and rice; and so are the end products: ale and lager; wine and cider; gin and bourbon. And more. Thoughtfully, Stewart included a few recipes: there’s Kir and Lavender Martini; Black Gold and Ciao Bella; the Aviation and Mint Julep. You can zoom through this little tome real fast, presumably even faster and more enjoyably with some liquid refreshment at hand. Cheers!